Ban on Illinois drivers’ use of hand-held cellphones endorsed

SPRINGFIELD — A proposal to ban the use of hand-held cellphones while driving a car was endorsed in a House committee Wednesday.

“A hand-held cellphone is a huge distraction while driving a car,” said state Rep. John D’Amico, D-Chicago, who sponsored the legislation.

Drivers using a hand-held cellphone are eight times more likely to be in an accident, he said, and California experienced a “dramatic” drop in accidents when that state adopted a similar ban.

Illinois already bans texting while driving, and 76 communities across the state have some restrictions on use of hand-held cellphones while driving, which was one reason a Verizon representative testified in favor of the measure: Illinois cellphone customers do not know where they might get ticketed.

A trio of Republicans opposed the proposal.

State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said he voted “no” because it would permit a law officer to stop a driver who is using a hand-held cellphone “and that’s just too much government.“

Get news headlines sent daily to your inbox

QCTimes.com Daily Headlines

Obituaries

I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site consitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

“The bill is very well intentioned,” said state Rep. Michael Unes, R-East Peoria, who still voted against the measure because he is concerned individuals who cannot afford a hands-free device may still “have some very valid reasons” for needing to use a cellphone in a car.

State Rep. Kay Hatcher, R-Yorkville, said she opposed a similar measure sponsored by D’Amico last year and she was still against it. She said it posed a hardship on the 8 percent of Illinoisans who must wear some kind of hearing device that makes it harder or more costly to rely on hands-free cellphones.

D’Amico said some hands-free alternatives, such as using a car’s radio as a phone’s speaker, “are no more expensive than a normal cellphone.”